
120 Driving Saf ely
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures described in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important info r
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- safety belt prete nsioners ,
- safety belt force lim iters fo r the front seats,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for
the front seats ,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats *
- side airbags in the front seats a nd outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags ,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- hea d restr aints for each sea ting pos ition,
- ad justab le s teer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to
ge ther as a system to help protect you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents .
T hese features canno t wo rk as a system if
they are not always cor re ct ly adjusted and co r
rect ly used.
Safety i s everybody' s respon sibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
befor e driv ing always:
.. Make s ure that all lights and signals are op
erating correctly.
.. Make sure that the t ire pressure is correct .
.. Make s ure t hat all windows are clean and af
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.. Sec ure all luggage a nd other items caref ully
q page 64, q page 61 .
.. Ma ke s ure t hat nothing can interfe re wi th
the peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to the ir height . .,..

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-never lean up against the instrument pane l
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never lean out the w indow
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwe ll
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seat ing positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu
pants stay in a proper seating posit ion
and are properly restra ined whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make su re that the knee a irbag can
inflate without inte rfe rence . Objects be
tween yourse lf and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of in jury in an ac ciden t by interfer
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
being p ushed into you as the airbag de
ploys .
- No persons (ch ild ren) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this can res ult in se rious or fata l injuries.
- No objects of any kind sho uld be car ried
in the footwe ll area in front of the driv
er's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham
per or preven t proper deployment of the
airbag. Small objects can be thrown
through t he vehicle if the airbag deploys
and injure you o r your passengers.
-
Dr iving S afel y 125
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
Make sure that a ll peda ls move free ly without
interfe rence and that nothing prevents them
from return ing to their orig inal positions .
Only use floor mats t hat leave t he pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten ers .
If a brake circ uit fai ls, increased brake pedal
trave l is required to b ring the vehicle to a f ull
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause
loss of vehicle co ntrol and increase the risk
of s erious injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the drive r's
footwell. An ob ject cou ld get into the
pe dal area and inte rfe re with pedal func
tion. In case of sudden brak ing o r an ac
cident, yo u wo uld not be able to b rake or
accelerate!
- Always ma ke sure tha t no thing can f all
or move into the driver's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor ma t fasteners and do
not in terfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
"' Ma ke su re t hat the floor mats are prope rly
secured and cannot move and in terfere with
t he peda ls ¢ ..&_ .
U se only floor mats that leave the peda l area
u nobst ructed and th at are firmly secu re d so
that they c annot slip o ut o f posi tion. You c an
obta in suitab le floor mats from yo ur aut ho r
ized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fastene rs a re in stall ed in your Aud i.
1111>
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A WARNING ,~
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
Gj) Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open .
-
Driving Safely 127
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured. For recommended tire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
I:!) page 233.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly<>
page 126, Loading the luggage com
partment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example , in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs in
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Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
~ Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
~ Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly.
- Always fasten your safety be lts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person, in
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being d riv
en .
- Never let any person ride with their feet
on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi
tion .
Safety belts 133
-Several layers of heavy clothing may in
terfere with correct positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev
er, special clips may be requ ired for the
proper use of some child restraint sys
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web
bing , bindings, buckles, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer. Replace
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen . Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel~
ta
ble Cleaning interior on page 203.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 154 Bel t b uckle and to ngue on the drive r's seat

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sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re
cl ined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca
pacitive sensor in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that the seat is occupied
by a person whe n it in fact is not, o r that
the person on the sea t is heavier than he
o r she actually is. The change in electric
capacitance beca use of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenger seat that will
cause the capacitive passenge r detection
system in the seat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that t he seat is occupied by a
pers on when it is not, or to sign al tha t it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the pe rson actually sitting on the
seat . The presence of an object co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
wor ked w ithout the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when a irbags dep loy
c an cause b reathing problems for peop le
w ith a his to ry o f asthma o r other brea th
ing condi tion s.
- T o reduce the r is k of brea thing prob lems,
those w it h a sthma or o ther resp iratory
condit ions should ge t fresh a ir right
away by getting out of the vehicle o r
opening windows or doo rs .
- If you are in a coll is ion in which a irb ags
deploy, wash yo ur hands and face with
mild soap and water befo re eating.
A irbag system 15 1
-Be ca reful not to get the d ust into your
eyes, or into any c uts o r scratches.
- If the resi due should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two seporate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Ai rbag System (incl uding the
electronic control unit, sensor circu its and sys
tem wir ing) is mo nitored continuously to
make sure that it is funct io ni ng properly
whenever the ignition is on. Each time you
switch on the ignition, the airbag monitor ing
i ndica to r li ght
fl will come on for a few sec
onds (self diagnos tics).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
ffl:
- does not come on when the ignition is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have sw itched on the ignit io n, or
- comes on whil e driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flash ing to
catch the driver's attent io n and then stay on
continuously to serve as a co nstant rem inder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front
airbag on the passenger s ide off, the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay
o n wheneve r th e ignit io n is on.
A WARNING
An ai rbag system t hat is not functioning
p roperly cannot p rovi de sup plemental pro-
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tec tion in a frontal c rash . .,..
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160 Airbag system
& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
<=>pag e 160.
- If the airbag indicator light c::> page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 166 Inflated side airbags o n left side of vehicle,
rear s ide airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG". It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force . The sup
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup
plemental side airbag expands . This applies
especially to children
c::> page 165, Child Safe
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be
tween the occupant and the door panel on th e
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
coll ision
c::> fig. 166 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints. Al
ways properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro
vide supplementa l protection .
& WARNING
-An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury . Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
-Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery over the front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.

162 Airbag sys tem
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ~
fig. 167. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof p illar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side co llision . The side curtain airbag in
flates in s ide impacts and only when the veh i
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enoug h. If th is rate is below the refe r
ence va lue programmed i nto the control un it,
the side curtain airbag wi ll not be triggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a result of the collision . It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that will
cover every possible angle of impact, since the
circumstances will vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another. Important factors
i nclude, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehi cle speed, etc.
~ page 163, How side cur
tain airbags work.
As ide from the ir normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli
sion so that the side curta in airbags can pro
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for you r
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc
cupant res traint system in your ve hicle. Al
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re
qu ires you to do so
Q page 130, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swell ing, bruisi ng, fric
tion burns and m ino r abrasions can also be as
sociated with these a irbags upon deployment.
Remembe r too, these airbags w ill dep loy only once and on
ly in certain kinds of accidents -
your safety belts are always there to offer pro
tection.
The side curtain a irbag system basically
con sists of :
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain i t is func tioning prope rly at all
times . Each time you switch on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light will come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag i s not activated :
-if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by the se nsor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions.
_&. WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posi tion
¢ page 53, General recommendations.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light Q page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
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How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig. 168 Illustration of principle: In flated side cur ta in
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
¢fig. 168 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain airbag could in
jure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curtain airbag
inflates . This applies especially to children
¢ page 165.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur
tain airbags can ''cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de ploys . This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle .
Airbag system 163
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the side curtain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
- Use the bui lt-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in a colli
sion .
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the hooks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
if shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, use only genuine Aud i
sun shades .
- Never swing the sun visors over to the
side windows if things such as pens , ga
rage door openers, hands-free speakers,
etc. are attached to the sun visors. They
could come loose and cause serious in
jury if the side curtain airbag inflates.
-A deploying airbag inflates in a fraction
of a second and with great force .
- Never attach objects to the cover or in
the deployment zone of a side curtain airbag.
- The airbag deployment zones must be
kept clear at all times . Make sure there
are no objects, pets, or other persons in
-